[FEATURE] Memory file optimization suggestions

Resolved 💬 2 comments Opened Feb 6, 2026 by kojiromike Closed Mar 6, 2026

Problem

Memory files (CLAUDE.md, MEMORY.md, project rules) accumulate over time and can become bloated with:

  • Verbose explanations that could be tighter
  • Redundant rules that say the same thing different ways
  • Obsolete entries that no longer apply
  • Overly detailed examples where a brief one would suffice

Users pay for this bloat on every conversation turn, but have no tooling to identify optimization opportunities.

Proposed Solution

A command (e.g., /optimize-memory or /audit-memory) that:

  1. Analyzes loaded memory files
  2. Identifies optimization opportunities:
  • Rules that could be stated more concisely
  • Redundant/overlapping instructions
  • Examples that could be shortened
  • Entries that may be obsolete (e.g., reference old patterns)
  1. Suggests rewrites that preserve semantics while reducing tokens
  2. Shows estimated token savings

Example output:

Analyzing ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md (847 tokens)...

Suggestions:
1. Lines 12-18: This 6-line explanation of empty() behavior could be 2 lines (-40 tokens)
   Current: [verbose version]
   Suggested: [concise version]

2. Lines 45-47 and 82-84: These rules overlap. Consider consolidating. (-25 tokens)

3. Line 103: References "the old API" - may be obsolete. Review for removal.

Estimated savings: ~65 tokens (8%)

Apply suggestions? [y/n/select]

Alternatives Considered

  • Manual review: Works but tedious and easy to skip
  • Asking Claude directly: Possible but no structured workflow, easy to forget

Priority

Medium - Quality of life improvement for power users

Use Case

Power users with extensive memory files who want to minimize context overhead without losing instruction fidelity.

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